AMES, IOWA – Guatemalan-born filmmaker Luis Argueta weaves together the stories of individuals and families affected by the May 2008 immigration raid at the former Agriprocessor meatpacking plant in Postville, Iowa, in his documentary, "abUSed: The Postville Raid." Argueta will present the new film and lead a discussion at 7 p.m. on Oct. 7 in the Iowa State University Memorial Union's Sun Room.

A part of the Latino Heritage Month Celebration, the event is free and open to the public.


Argueta's 60-minute film presents the human face of immigration, the socioeconomic forces that fuel migration and the exploitation workers experience. He recorded the film in Postville and four communities in Guatemala.

Now an American citizen, Argueta owns the production company Maya Media Corp., an award- winning production and post-production company in New York City. His 1994 film, "The Silence of Neto," is the only Guatemalan film to have reached the Academy Awards competition. He is the only Guatemalan director to have received a CLIO, an international advertising, design and communications competition.

Argueta's presentation is cosponsored by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Ag Multicultural Programs, sociology, Latinoamericanos, and the Committee on Lectures, which is funded by the Government of the Student Body.